The Good in the Future
by lil' Miss B
Summary: On their way back from Ed’s first mission, Ed realizes what it could mean to be a state alchemist. Spoilers for episode 9. Drabble.


_FMA does not belong to me and I make no profit from any of these tales. Any further archiving of my fiction is strictly prohibited unless cleared by me

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The Good in the Future

Summary: On their way back from Ed's first mission, Ed realizes what it could mean to be a state alchemist. Spoilers for episode 9.

PG

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Ed yawned loudly as the last car left the platform, the train's loud engine drowning out the shouted goodbyes of the miners from the station.

"I'm so glad to finally be getting out of there."

Al watched as his brother flopped back in the seat, eyes closed and arms crossed behind his head. He looked tired, but content.

"I don't think I could have taken one more night of celebration." Ed's arms came down to rub his belly. Al half expected it to pop above the waistband of his pants. It would be only fitting considering the amount of food the miners had shoved at them this past week. Al chuckled at the thought combined with the uncomfortable look that flashed across his brother's face at the thought of food. Ed opened his eyes.

"They _were_ really grateful." Al observed.

Grateful was an understatement, Ed thought.

After revealing the corruption of Lieutenant Yoki, Ed had spent a week waiting for reinforcements to arrive in Youswell and take him into custody. The miners hadn't wasted a second of it showing him just how grateful they were. Every night they'd drag him down to Halling's bar – which he wasn't old enough to drink at anyway – and keep him up all night, shoving juice down his throat and talking about what they were going to do now.

"I guess it's to be expected," Edward rested his auto-mail arm on the window sill. "Their lives are tough enough without someone like Yoki taxing them to death. Now that he's gone, things can go back to normal for them."

"You really did good brother," Al saw Ed blink, surprised, "I'm proud of you."

Surprise melted into adoration and a warm smile touched Ed's lips, "'We,' Al," he corrected, "We did a good job."

"Huh?" It was Al's turn to be surprised, "But, I didn't do anything."

Al's stared at the floor. It had been Edward who thought up the plan to expose Yoki. Ed who stopped Lyra's attacks. Al only felt useful when it came time to carry the gold bars up to the Lieutenant's mansion.

Edward shook his head at his brother. All this time Al had been more than eager to carry some of the guilt that had settled on Ed's shoulders; to be held accountable for not stopping his brother and for being the reason he joined the military. As much as he wanted to, Ed couldn't stop his brother from feeling this way. All he could do was try to make his burden as light as possible, which meant sharing the good with the bad.

"You helped more than you know. If you hadn't been there, I don't think I would've had the strength to do what I did."

Al was unsure how to respond. He honestly believed that his brother would have helped that town regardless of whether or not he was by his side.

"Besides," Al looked up to see Ed smiling at him, "If you hadn't been there, who would've saved Kayal?"

Al brightened instantly, he had nearly forgotten about that. "I did save him, didn't I!"

"You sure did!"

Al loved the way his brother was looking at him right then. For a moment, he actually felt warm; like he was seven feet tall. Well, he _was_ seven feet tall, but it had never felt so good to be so.

They fell into a comfortable, contented silence. Ed stared off into the distance, watching the sun drenched mountains roll by, the large hills passing by slower than the trees along the tracks.

"You're right though, Al."

Al turned his head to watch his brother stare sightlessly out his window.

Ed's voice was a whisper, gentle the way it was when something truly awed him. "What we did, we really…_helped_ them."

"We did." Al said proudly and Ed was glad for his choice in pronouns.

Ed turned away from the view, eyes glowing like then did when he figured out a difficult theory or equation. "Al, I just realized…all this time we spent thinking about what it would be like to be a state alchemist, I never though about how many people we might help."

Al had to agree. They had thought that it would be all war and politic with a little research in their free time, but here they were; a town full of civilians with a better future left behind in their wake.

Silence had passed over the brothers once again. Al was staring out the window and he looked happy. Ed had long ago learned to read his brother's emotions even through the thick steel of armor. All he had to do was see if his back was slumped or if he held his head high; if his fists were clenched or rested comfortably on his knees, which they did now.

Ed didn't voice the rest of his thoughts. He didn't tell Al that in order to help someone, they had to be in trouble first. For all the good they might do along their journey, there would be that much more bad. It was like that snake, the ouroboros, never ending because every ending was really a beginning in disguise.

Resting his arm on the window again, Ed propped his head on the hand. He was glad his brother's thoughts didn't seem to be wandering in the direction his were. Then again, Al wasn't very likely to see the bad side of things.

His intestines clenched at the thought of that optimism being crushed under the weight of what they might encounter. If Al had looked at him then, he might have seen the determination set in at his jaw and around his eyes.

Edward would make sure that never happened. No matter what evil they may encounter, he would make sure that Al always carried out something good from it, whether it is a village full of grateful people or simply another day by each other's side, content and living to research another day.

There would always be good.

And that would make what they had to do so much easier.

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Well, this was just something I wrote up when I was bored at work. Please review and give me some constructive criticism. 


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